


Man O'War

by BanishedOne



Category: Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Developing Relationship, Eddie getting on w his life, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi, Other, Post-Canon, eventual smut in other words, i'll add more tags as things evolve, pretending that he doesnt have an alien figuratively and literally up his ass, symbrock, veddie - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-23
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-08-06 07:27:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16383866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BanishedOne/pseuds/BanishedOne
Summary: Life hurts- Eddie had taken that advice to heart, because if anything, he'd never seen evidence to contrary- not in his job, not in his love life, and not in the course of his existence. It was his hope that the grave loss he felt for his broken relationship with Anne could be, at least, somewhat mended now that he had somebody else who was always there for him. But maybe 'mended' wasn't exactly the best word, because if anything, that voice in the back of Eddie's head had a way of leaving the wounds raw and exposed, on top of over-complicating everything.





	1. Chapter 1

_‘The Atlantic Portuguese man o' war (Physalia physalis) is a marine hydrozoan of the family Physaliidae found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans. Its long tentacles deliver a painful sting, which is venomous and powerful enough to kill fish or, rarely, humans. Despite its appearance, the Portuguese man o' war is not a true jellyfish but a siphonophore, which is not actually a single multicellular organism, but a colonial organism made up of specialized individual animals called zooids or polyps. These polyps are attached to one another and physiologically integrated to the extent that they cannot survive independently, creating a symbiotic relationship, requiring each polyp to work together and-’_

 

“We have to go now,” Eddie mumbled with a soft nod in the direction of an older, well-dressed man striding past, a few feet ahead of where he stood. “That’s the guy over there.”

“Wait, Eddie-” the unseen symbiote hissed in the back of his host’s mind, though Eddie kept walking despite Venom’s protests, “we’re reading someth-”

“Excuse me?” Eddie called out to the well-dressed man, raising one hand above his head in a friendly greeting. He just pretended that his hitchhiker’s voice was another part of the background ambience, like the bubbling trickles from behind the enveloping walls of glass and the voices of the small crowd touring the jellyfish exhibit.

“You’re Gale Schooley, right?” Eddie asked, approaching, trying to keep a polite expression on his face to shroud his boredom.

“And you’re Eddie Brock,” the other man, the president of the management team, replied. There was a waver of uncertainty to his tone, and his eyes studied the reporter with wariness that he was also hiding behind a professional appearance. “I still recognize you, from your old show.”

“Yeah, not a mug you forget, right?” A chuckle came from Eddie and he cleared his throat while his symbiote interrupted in protest, muttering in the back of his mind. Again, he was forced to ignore the alien’s chatter in favor of keeping his shit together. “I’m sorry- I spoke with your secretary earlier. He did tell you that I was coming, yeah?”

“That’s correct. He filled me in,” the man nodded his head, not making a lot of eye contact. “You wanted to talk about the cetaceans housed here, is that right?”

“You got it, sir,” Eddie confirmed with a curt nod and a smile.

“And this isn’t going to add to the already regretfully bad publicity, right Mr. Brock?” Schooley probed, unveiling the reason for his nervousness, as if it wasn’t glaringly obvious, given how many protesters were lining the outdoor spaces around the aquarium.

“Ah, well,” Eddie shrugged, flicking one hand dismissively. He was sure that publicity couldn’t get any worse at this point, but it also wasn’t exactly his goal, either, “the article should be fairly neutral. I’m just looking to lay down the facts. Personally, I’m undecided on where I stand, so-”

“Right,” Schooley interrupted, his voice a drawl of suspicion, the lines of his brow hardening as he looked the other man in the face. “It’s just that.. well, you do have..”

Eddie recognized those uncomfortable pauses and what they meant. His mouth tightened into a line that wasn’t quite a smile, but he nodded his head nonetheless. “I know, yeah, I’ve got a reputation. You got me, sir,” he joked in a light-hearted way. 

He’d grown a little too well-versed in humility lately, despite his ability to allow his alien friend to swallow people whole. Or in pieces. Or to chew them and savor them like rich desserts. There were a lot of different ways for that scenario to go down, but the point here was that more often than not, it didn’t. Actually, Eddie was doing his damned best to make it seem as though the alien creature housed between the fibres of his muscle, and in the marrow of his bones wasn’t there at all- living as a secret was the safest way for Venom to go on existing, period.

“But uhh, like I was saying,” Eddie spoke up again, his voice low and gentle. He had to do his best to seem as unintimidating as possible these days, “my stance is fairly neutral because I don’t really consider myself an expert in what’s most humane for wild animals. I’ve certainly read the counter-arguments to keeping the uhh,” he gestured vaguely at the nearest wall of glass, which gleamed with lapping, blue light, “dolphins and whales housed here and they’ll be included in the article, but just for the sake of full disclosure on the issue. That make sense?”

“Right, of course,” the man agreed with a soft exhale. He looked very much like the kind of man who didn’t want to talk to any member of the press at all, but what harm could Eddie really do? He worked for a small-time publication that was probably sold at Walmart checkout counters. This was the most ‘serious’ topic he’d been allowed to report on yet, so he was determined not to miss his chance. Frankly, if he was forced to write one more gossip piece, he’d lose it.

“Should we begin, then?” Eddie coaxed, his own fake smile leaving his face. He’d gotten the story in bed now, so there wasn’t any more obligation to be charming about it. He took his cellphone out of the pocket of his jeans, navigating to the camera, which he used to record the interview. He hit the small, red record icon, and it sounded a little ‘ding’ when it activated. “So, just a general question- can you tell me your stance on captive whales and dolphins?”

“All of the cetaceans we keep here were either severely injured when they were rescued or orphaned, which would greatly impede them from being able to successfully return to the wild,” Schooley explained, his hands folding together, his voice suddenly the most sincere it had been since they began this whole conversation. “In all likelihood, they would either die of starvation very quickly, or they would be negatively impacted by the lack of social stimuli.”

“Eddie-” The deep rumble of Venom’s voice was a resounding tremor that vibrated through the gray matter of his host’s mind, like speakers with the bass turned up way too high, hiding right outside of Eddie’s eardrums.

“So uhh,” Eddie blinked, the space between his brows crinkling while he fought to get his train of thought back on track. With one hand, he reached up to scratch at his stubbled cheek, then he folded his arm against his chest. “So you don’t think that animals which are highly evolved for survival in the ocean could manage without our intervention?”

“Well, like I said before, the ones we house have either been physically disabled, or simply wouldn’t be able to establish a family group as they would in the wild,” the man asserted. “These are, for a lack of kinder terms, the ones which would have perished for the sake of the ongoing process of evolution, if not for our intervention.”

“Eddie-” Again, Venom called out inside of Eddie’s head, more insistent than before.

“Furthermore, these animals play a valuable role in establishing a certain passion and a desire to preserve their entire species, for human beings. And that’s something we need more of. The activists who propose that all cetaceans should simply be released back into the wild don’t think any further than that, especially at a time when our oceans are being irreparably damaged.”

“Eddie!” the symbiote growled, the black of his hidden form squirming impatiently along Eddie’s spine. 

“Right, right, so uhh..” Eddie rubbed at his temple, wondering why the alien was so damn antsy all of a sudden. Whatever the cause, it would just have to wait. “So then, would you say that your personal reasons for keeping these animals captive is really for their sake and for the sake of them being ambassadors for their species? Or, does it have anything to do with the increased profits from having them as an attraction, as well as the steep donations you receive to maintain the facilities?”

The older man’s face pinched defensively, despite the neutrality of Eddie’s tone, and he paused, his silence speaking his sudden discomfort. Eddie brought an expectant gaze up to meet the other man’s eyes, then finally, Schooley went on. 

“..The donations you’re speaking of were for the sake of an ambitious expansion to the cetacean enclosures- because we care about them and want to enrich their lives.”

“Got it,” Eddie said with a smile and a nod, decidedly explaining more for the sake of the other man’s comfort. “My question was based on the information from my interview with the head of one of the activist groups in opposition of the aquarium. It just helps if I have you address their statements. It was mentioned that the donation money did lead to the construction of new exhibits, like this jellyfish exhibit.” He glanced upward, momentarily marvelling at the glass ceiling and the numerous silvery creatures that were so calmly suspended over all of their heads. “It has nothing to do with the dolphins and whales that are kept here, so that strikes some as being kind of odd.”

“Yes,” the President of the aquarium spoke dryly, folding his arms behind his back. “It was by the request of one of our largest donors that we created this exhibit. And it was also, in part, to fund our deep sea exploration studies. As you know, up to 95 percent of the Earth’s ocean is unexplored, and 99 percent of the ocean floor remains a mystery to us. That kind of exploration and research is time consuming and very expensive, which is why our donors are so generous. They consider our findings to be the repayment for their generosity.”

“Ahh, I see,” Eddie nodded, commenting his intrigue, even though it wasn’t necessarily relevant. “It seems like studying the ocean is a bit like space exploration. Anyway, that about covers all of the points I needed to address, but uhh..”

Trailing off for only a few seconds, Eddie tapped at the red dot on his phone screen to end the recording, doing it hurriedly because he could already see that Mr. Schooley was inching back on the balls of his feet like he was in a big rush to get back to other business.

“Off the record and just between you and me,” Eddie prodded, sliding nearer to the well-dressed man; it was only ever so slightly, yet probably just enough for his proximity to become uncomfortable, “would the Life Foundation happen to be one of your major donors?”

“Mr. Brock,” Schooley’s voice was soft, “I’m really not in a place to divulge that kind of-”

“It’s not going to be in the article, its just a personal curiosity,” Eddie persisted, shrugging and doing his best to appear nonchalant. “Again, totally off the record, sir.”

“I’m sorry,” the older man stated as firmly as possible, his throat moving in a swallow while his mouth formed a tight line. “I can’t answer that question, I’m afraid.”

“Sure,” Eddie agreed, backing off in defeat and sliding his phone back into his pocket. His disappointment was still something bristling from him, regardless of how he brushed it off in order to remain professional. “Well, thank you for meeting with me, Mr. Schooley.”

“Thank you,” Schooley replied, though as predicted, he was quick to turn on heel and click off with the sound of fancy dress shoes, which resonated up and down the glass corridors.

“Eddie!” The symbiote broke free from his built up silence with booming vigor, like an uncaged beast- maybe not quite that- but certainly with a similar brand of agitation, a bitter brew of anger and nervousness. Eddie could feel the echoes of his friend’s mounting anxiety in his own heightened pulse, in the shiver up his spine like there was a wolf snarling, baring its fangs against the back of his neck. Even so..

“What is it?” Eddie cleverly pulled his phone back out of his pocket and pressed it to his ear. “I’m trying to work here, you can’t just keep interrupting me while I’m working. We’ve talked about this.”

“It could just be that all of these glass panes are starting to make us feel nervous, but,” the hidden alien uttered, his tone lowered, his voice softened like he was sharing a secret, “we’re pretty sure that guy over there has been watching us, Eddie. He took pictures, even.”

“Show me,” Eddie replied lowly. With that word of permission, Venom turned Eddie slowly around, so that they were facing a loosely packed viewing panel, where there was a man seated on a bench nearby, seemingly minding his own business.

He wasn’t looking in their direction when Eddie glanced over, of course, but he did have a camera as indicated and he wasn’t dressed like an average tourist.

“Yeah, hey, you know what,” Eddie began, trying not to add to his friend’s paranoia, “people take pictures in aquariums. It’s no biggie.” 

“We’re really not buying it, Eddie,” the symbiote grumbled, the sound of his voice suddenly concentrated on one side, like he was speaking directly into his host’s ear. “Cut the shit and skip to the plan. Should we lure him somewhere and deal with him?”

“Nah,” Eddie breathed. “We’ll give him the slip in the penguin exhibit. That whole place is a goddamn mess.”

;

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello friends. Who saw the new Venom movie? What did you all think of it?  
> I'm sorry that this chapter was light on interaction between our favs, but the next chapter will be up soon, and I promise that it'll have 100% less dolphiny nonsense, and about 95% more Eddie/Venom shenanigans.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sure, there was plenty for Eddie to worry about, from his finances, to suspicious, camera-wielding men following him around. For today, however, he wanted to put that out of his mind. For today, he wanted to enjoy the pleasant weather, a delicious lunch, and of course, the constant company.

“Your total is $40.53,” the woman behind the counter spoke as she slid a bulging plastic bag across the surface toward Eddie. She was young and quiet; she looked very tired. Eddie’s eyes didn’t remain on her for long, instead looking through the flaps of his wallet for his credit card.

“Is that the right price?” he commented while he pulled the card from his wallet. “Wow, okay. On credit, I guess.”

“Do you think we lost that guy, Eddie?” the symbiote quietly purred, his voice low and concentrated on one side, like he was actually making an effort not to be heard by the people around them, though nobody ever did. Eddie still believed, at times, that he’d feel the warmth of the creature’s breath against the back of his neck.

“I have a bad feeling about it,” the alien continued. “We should have tried to find out what he was up to, at least.”

It was indecipherable whether his bad feeling had echoed into his human host, or if Eddie’s sudden nervousness when he swiped his credit card was leaving the symbiote extra ansty.

“It was declined,” the woman across the counter spoke, still tired and entirely neutral. The register printed a small tab that said ‘declined’ and she tore it off and tossed it in a nearby wastebasket.

“Oh, uh, shit, do you mind running it again?” Eddie let out a nervous chuckle and smiled despite himself. “This card is old and glitchy. I’ve been meaning to get it replaced.”

“Sure,” the young woman agreed. She tapped a few buttons on the register, then gestured toward the debit machine. “It’s ready.”

Eddie swiped and waited for the transaction to authorize, one foot tapping while the machine took its sweet, fucking time. They always seemed to take longer when the answer was uncertain, didn’t they? After what felt like more than a minute, the receipt began to print and the debit machine flashed with the word, ‘approved.’ 

A sigh of relief came from the man, and he put his card back in his wallet, tucking it into his back pocket. The woman placed his receipt in the overly full, plastic bag, then Eddie offered a word of thanks before turning and striding toward the glass door of the entrance. A bell dinged as he walked out into the sun of the afternoon, then once they were outside, the symbiote’s voice rumbled through Eddie’s mind again.

“Is everything okay, Eddie?” he asked, unclear in exactly what he meant in posing that question.

“Mmhm,” the human hummed, answering his friend in the most hushed way possible. He glanced over his shoulder, keeping his eyes open for the aforementioned ‘guy’ who’d drawn the tense alien’s suspicions in the aquarium.

They hadn’t gone very far- there were plenty of places to eat along the street just outside of the aquarium, as well as some rather nice outdoor eating areas, which welcomed the usual tourist traffic. On this particular day, though, the wide stretch of pristine, pale cement directly outside of the attraction was packed with crowds who hadn’t come for the sake of watching tropical fish, or feeding stingrays. Rather, they were pretty set on ‘freeing Willy,’ as it were.

The conversation surrounding captive whales and dolphins had become tense in recent years, especially in coastal cities where there was plenty of money to be had from tourists looking for memorable experiences. The crowds of protestors now, however, had been brought out by the news of a third beluga whale death at this particular aquarium. Eddie figured, yeah, if they were rescuing animals that were already in bad shape, the likelihood of loss was fairly high. He also was pretty sure that Schooley needed to stop killing those adorable sea canaries, if he knew what was good for him.

The gathering was convenient enough for Eddie, though, because there was shelter to be had, amidst the protestors. If the suspicious dude with the camera, which might or might not have actually been a threat, was indeed looking for Eddie, he’d have a much more difficult time with so many people around.

Eddie was forced to squeeze himself at the very edge of a crowded picnic table, somewhere in the mass of chanting people, who were waving signs with remarkably good artwork, and clever burns against the aquarium and Schooley, himself. Eddie was making note of a few, because there was no way some of this stuff wasn’t going into his article.

‘Thanks, but no tanks.’ That was a good one.

Then there was one with a picture of a baby dolphin that read, ‘I miss my mom.’ That one was pretty depressing.

Once Eddie was situated, he placed his giant bag of food on the table in front of him, taking out one of the many containers, without much care as to which part of his order was inside.

“Don’t worry,” he stated, at last addressing his symbiote’s concerns. The crowd was so noisy, people probably couldn’t tell that he was talking to himself. Maybe. Hopefully. “We’re gonna lay low here for a little bit, just to see if we catch that guy looking for us again. He’ll never spot us here with all these protestors.”

“Who do you think it was?” came the growl of the alien’s voice in reply.

“No clue,” Eddie said with a shrug. It wasn’t as though the Life Foundation had gone radio silent ever since the death of Carlton Drake, so that wasn’t a completely impossible option. However, they were dealing with quite the incredible scandal, cleaning up their former CEO’s messes, both the literal and figurative ones.

“We’ve been keeping a low profile for the most part, so it can’t be someone after you,” Eddie decidedly added, bluffing in the hopes that the alien was none the wiser. The suspicious rumble that came from him in response seemed to indicate that he was, though, obviously.

Back when Eddie had delivered the damning evidence against the Life Foundation into the hands of his former boss, he had only been concerned with doing what was right and little else. Now he was worried over the fact that, because the human rights violations had been exposed and investigations had been launched, it wouldn’t be long before intelligence agencies uncovered the details regarding alien lifeforms being brought to Earth, as well as the fact that some were unaccounted for.

Oh and, yeah, they hadn’t exactly lain as low as they should’ve. It was the opposite of that, actually. All in one night, he’d left his apartment littered with bodies and had participated in a documented high-speed chase on a vehicle which was registered in his name. The Life Foundation had provided him with a convenient alibi for the initial police investigation, given that he had obtained evidence that they didn’t want unearthed, which resulted in them sending what amounted to their own personal militia after him- it made Eddie quite the victim of circumstance.

But that was all before the truth about the alien lifeforms was uncovered, and it either had been, or would be. It was only a matter of time.

“Don’t worry about it. Just enjoy the lunch,” Eddie concluded, deflecting his mounting anxiety in the hopes of calming his friend. “I promised we’d eat fish after we spent all day staring at fish, so here we go.”

When Eddie folded the top to the first box of food open, he found housed inside a bounty of nigiri sushi of various flavors. He fussed with soy sauce and wasabi for a moment, grinning slightly to himself, sure that he could feel the symbiote’s excitement prickling at the back of his neck. Through his eyes, the alien was studying the various shades and textures of the different meats, from those which were delicate and pale, to others with soft, marbled hues, and yet others with deep violets, bordered by crisp, fleshy white.

Eddie was tempted to eat a clump of the wasabi, just to see how the symbiote reacted to the eruption of heat in his mouth- that would’ve been a mean trick, so the man refrained. Funny, though.

“You’re sure everything is okay?” the symbiote purred, not wanting to allow himself to be so easily side-tracked, though he inevitably would be. 

Realistically, Eddie didn’t have a decent answer to that question, so he breathed a defeated sigh, and offered the best reply available to him. “It’s A-okay, I swear,” he said. He didn’t want to waste his time worrying about the possibilities. He didn’t want to spend his days fearing things which might or might not have come to pass. He wanted to enjoy these small moments of peace, not just for himself, but also for the sake of his other half.

After all, the planet Earth had plenty of beauty and delight to offer to somebody who’d hardly seen even a small fraction of it. Eddie was determined to show his symbiote every little wonder and to offer him every possible opportunity for happiness; he’d earned that much, hadn’t he?

The only thing standing in the way was the knowledge that life also came with pain and suffering in equal measure. Actually, it had a way of heaping on the bad to make damn sure that nobody ever forgot to savor and cherish whatever good came their way.

“Here, wanna try the tuna or salmon first?” Eddie asked his hitchhiker, clearing his mind of all the static. Funny how much better he’d gotten at those meditation techniques now that his head was noisier than ever. “Maybe mackerel? Octopus? There’s plenty to choose from.”

“Hmm,” the symbiote hummed to himself in indecision, as though they weren’t going to eat it all, one way or another. “Our gut is saying to go with the orangey one.”

“Great choice, get a load of this, pal.” Eddie reached for one of the salmon-topped pieces, taking care to dunk only the meat into the sauce, before he shoved the entire thing into his mouth. He was definitely famished, so the first bite of his lunch was pleasing to him as anything, but to the alien residing somewhere inside of him, leeching his sensory experiences like it was an unlocked neural wifi network?

“Ohh, yes, that’s nice,” the other cooed in satisfaction. “So tender. We like it. We should get fish for lunch more often.”

“Sushi,” Eddie added, for clarification, chewing at the huge bite which had been pushed fully to the side of his mouth, so that his cheek bulged. “And yeah, you’re right.” 

Folding one arm on the table in front of himself, Eddie tilted his head back while he chewed, trying his best to quiet the alien’s urging him to eat faster. The sky was a bright, pale blue, dotted with small, soft clouds that drifted across the horizon in a slow, lazy way.

“It’s a nice day, huh?” he stated, feeling both the warmth of the sun on his back, as well as the slight breeze that carried with it the salty scent of the sea.

“Hm?” the symbiote’s attention followed his host’s, and for a still moment, he quieted, opting to observe precisely what Eddie had pointed out to him. 

“Yes,” he agreed, remarkably content. “It is a nice day, Eddie.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is very short, but I wanted to get it up, regardless. What are you all thinking about it so far? It's slightly tense, huh. Who thinks that Eddie and his symbiote will actually get to live in relative peace? Maybe. Maybe not. 
> 
> Thanks for reading, friends. If any of you are following me on social media, I have tumblr and twitter. I also have Patreon where I post this story as free, public content. Feel free to check it out.
> 
> Tumblrs: BanishedOne and BanishFics  
> Twitter: @BanishedOne  
> I'm also BanishedOne on Patreon. Links are in my profile~


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wherever Eddie went, it seemed that trouble was always bound to find him. It wasn't that he minded terribly, because he and his symbiote had ways of dealing with such inconveniences. Well- they had ways, but not necessarily ways that they agreed upon.

The motel room was small and cheap but suitable for Eddie’s purposes. The lights were dim at best, which left everything tinted in a yellow tone, like candle flame. There was a single bed and a single window, which was covered in old, dusty blinds, as well as even older drapes. 

Beneath the window was an AC unit which made some worrying sounds when it ran, yet the tired grinding of its gears wasn’t even close to being as worthy of concern as the noises that were coming from the room next door. 

Eddie was perched at the desk, laptop open with the intention of getting his work done. Every time his hands paused against the keys, however, more screaming and banging filtered through the paper-thin walls and a twisting feeling was growing ever tighter in his gut. He was unsure if that was his frustration with being distracted by the ruckus, or some subconscious thing being caused by his symbiote.

The symbiote was letting out a soft, wary growl, like some edgy guard dog while he listened to the commotion which his human host was trying to block out. It was all a garble of various sounds, but the context clues were enough to understand what was going on; an enraged man was standing outside, screaming and pounding his fist against the door, while the soft sound of fearful sobbing was audible from the other side of one wall of Eddie’s room.

Inevitably, the symbiote couldn’t hold his peace, nor allow his host to go on minding his own business. “Are we going to do something about that, Eddie?” he purred.

“We could just call the cops,” Eddie replied with a sigh. He’d expected the fearful occupant next door to have done that already, but for some darn reason, she hadn’t. Maybe she had some reason to fear the police as much as the crazed man outside her door. She could have been a drug addict, or an undocumented immigrant, so Eddie already knew that police involvement could cause more harm than good, depending on her circumstances.

As a result, the symbiote knew just as well. “Pigs do not bother with domestic crimes until there is a body, anyway,” he added, like it was an afterthought. Eddie could hear the snarl of the alien’s lips in his tone, furrowing the fleshy black of his face and unveiling his numerous teeth all the more. “We should make sure it is the right body.”

“Yeah,” Eddie nodded. “And just when I’d gotten into the groove here.” 

The man’s hands fell away from his laptop keys and he leaned back in his chair in consideration. The banging outside had taken a bit of an intermission, so he dared to hope that perhaps intervening wouldn’t actually be necessary. He waited, hearing nothing but silence for a moment more, then went back to typing. “Tell ya’ what, if he doesn’t go away, then we’ll do something.”

It was a foolish, naive hope.

The enraged man’s temporary veneer of calm was all he needed to coax the frightened victim to open the door, then once she had, all hell broke loose. His screaming leapt right back to senselessly aggressive levels. Crashes and bangs of more than just his fists on the door echoed from the other side of the wall, all while a woman’s voice cried and begged, unheeded.

“You are not seriously going to keep typing that crap about dolphins with that going on, are you Eddie?” the symbiote’s voice rumbled, his form prickling up Eddie’s spine with restless energy.

“Hey, tone,” Eddie chastised. His work wasn’t all that crappy, despite the poor conditions for his concentration. “And no, we’re not. Let’s go.”

The symbiote eagerly enshrouded his host before Eddie was even properly out of his seat. The shadow black of his form threaded between the human’s muscles and around him, comfortably enclosing him in their own special, protective embrace. He slithered and crawled up and down his host’s spine, into the glowing synapsis of his mind, their senses interconnected, their thoughts interlinked in perfect unison.

Thankfully, there weren’t any bystanders around to witness a giant alien bursting from Eddie’s motel room and turning to stand in the open doorway of the room next door. There was only the victim, who saw Venom first, then her tormentor, who spun on heel when the woman in his sadistic clutches began to scream and flail as though suddenly the man beating the life out of her was no longer a concern.

The man was as Eddie had imagined from the sound of his voice- red faced in rage, sweat beading against his skin from the continued effort, veins swollen and visible as his blood boiled and raced through him. What Eddie had not imagined was the blank look of terror that crossed the abuser’s face when he spotted the fearsome creature, whose vengeance he’d unwittingly called down. That part always felt good.

Like a coward, the man made to run for his life, only for the swing of Venom’s arm to produce a long tendril of black, which snapped around the man’s ankle and sent him to the ground in a graceless stumble. He wriggled and squirmed as he tried to crawl away, but the vine quickly reeled him in, dragging him across the floor until his leg was fisted in the alien’s palm, and the man was being dangled, upside-down. All too easy, really.

Venom drew his arm above his head, holding the man almost at eye-level in order to inspect him, like a naughty child or a bad dog, or better yet, a piece of meat one might consider purchasing from a butcher. A toothy grin was spread across Venom’s maw; that was the norm, but even more in this particular moment of satisfaction.

“How does it feel to be helpless? Unable to escape?” he growled, his tongue flicking almost delicately behind his teeth to enunciate the words. “We wonder- if these are your final moments, might you spend them realizing that this, right here, right now, is exactly what you do to others? Hm?”

The man was quiet, breathless, snivelling and powerless. The blood was rushing to his face even more than it had been, before, and it was impossible to know if the tears suddenly pooling in his eyes were from terror or the pressure of being dangled in such a way. 

“Too little, too late though,” the symbiote purred, an eager sound to his voice that made it quite clear what would follow, if Eddie failed to intervene.

‘I think that’s a fair enough warning to scare him straight,’ Eddie thought, the voice within his own mind as good as speaking aloud.

‘Scaring him is not enough to change him, Eddie,’ the symbiote rumbled insistently, his grip on the violent man tightening so the suspended abuser let out a choked yelp.

‘Maybe not. But, I dunno, is that really for us to decide?’ the human tried to reason. He supposed it was his fault for permitting this once or twice before, only to be filled with regret later on while literally digesting the weight of what he’d done. ‘I mean, no argument from me, this guy is a real piece of work. But killing him might be a bit harsh, as punishment goes.’

‘What?’ the alien snapped. ‘But this is a bad person and you said-’

‘Yeah, I know, I’m just saying-’ Eddie’s thoughts were rapid fire. He could feel for himself the sensation of saliva dripping between his hitchhiker’s teeth. He could feel for himself the urge to take the first bite growing while he spoke, like the motivation was his own and there was no difference. ‘Th-there could be reasons that he’s like this, and if we let him live, he could go on to redeem himself and address the shit that got him here in the first place. You know, he might realize that he’s not in control, and that he has plenty to lose, and that despite how many times he’s screwed up his life and the lives of others, he can choose to change all of that, instead of going on like this.’

‘We see, Eddie,’ the symbiote hummed knowingly. An image of Anne poured to the forefront of Eddie’s mind, the recall of her cold stare as she placed her ring back into Eddie’s palm, then turned her back on him, forever. ‘This is not about this very tasty-looking scumbag, is it? It is about you.’

‘No, no, this is absolutely not about me,’ the human insisted, somewhat resenting that the alien had chosen to make it about that. That was playing dirty. ‘Yeah, look, I might be an irredeemable screw up, and I might have really, really hurt a person that I love, but this- this isn’t-’

“Sure,” Venom snapped aloud, his pearly eyes squeezing shut while the flesh of his face peeled backward for the sake of opening his jaws wide. The dangling man began to shriek and flail when he was drawn head-first like a pinkie mouse toward the waiting jaws of his doom.

“Stop!” Eddie hissed, taking enough control of their combined form to snap Venom’s gaping mouth shut and turn his head aside. ‘No, I said no, we are not doing this.’

“Look at this maggot,” Venom growled, tilting his gaze back in his prey’s direction. He was making an effort to sound reasonable, but there was clear hatred dripping from every word. His other hand grappled at the dangling man’s head, pressing tightly around his face to quiet his screams. “He hurt her. She is here because she tried to escape, and when she did that, he found her and proceeded to hurt her again. That is not what you are, Eddie. Stop trying to advocate for this devil and save the person who really deserves our mercy- her.”

“I just- I don’t think its as simple as that,” Eddie replied aloud, so that Venom spoke his words. The human quickly remembered himself and stilled his tongue. ‘And, in fact, you know what, you don’t exactly think of anybody else but yourself, do you?’

‘Eddie-’ 

‘No, this isn’t even about saving the victim, this is about rationalizing your desire to go around biting peoples’ heads off. So hey, you’ve got some room to talk, huh?”

“Oh,” Venom dropped his arm, letting the man flop to the floor, but he did not release him from his grasp. He then snapped his head in the direction of the woman who was huddled in the corner, hoping that if she remained perfectly still that this weird alien would fail to notice her. “Then why do we not ask her? Why do we not ask her if she would feel safer with this asshole gone for good?”

“No way,” Eddie spat, turning Venom’s gaze away from the frightened victim. ‘Don’t put this on her. She’s dealt with enough, without having to live with the guilt of deciding someone’s fate like that.’

‘Fine, Eddie. Fine.’ The symbiote relented like a spoiled child, moments away from complaining about how unfair their parent was being. The alien tossed the man with a careless gesture, so that the bastard flopped onto his face in the open doorway and hastily began to scramble. He didn’t even get to his feet before Venom was hovering over him, not looking at all as pleased as he had been. No, his charming grin was now a ruthless snarl and his previously mocking words now came out a dangerous growl.

“We will be watching you from now on,” he threatened, his massive form bent over the trembling human. “If you ever hurt this woman or anybody else, ever again- if you so much as take the wrong tone with somebody, we’ll rescind the second chance we decided to give you tonight. We will tear the skin from your body, then we will swallow you whole so the last thing you will ever feel is the burn of stomach acid against raw muscle, right up until you die.”

He backed off by a few inches and let out an exasperated puff, then the man scrambled to his knees, then his feet, and he fled into the night. A dissatisfied grumble came from Venom as he watched his prey go, but he smoothed the rough edges of his anger for the sake of addressing the victim.

With a slow turn of his head, Venom set his gaze upon the woman again. She shielded herself with her arms at just his regard, cowering and scared out of her wits. He would’ve thought that his intentions to aid her were clear, but some people couldn’t move past appearances, he supposed. 

Slowly, he crept a few paces nearer, not close enough to touch, not close enough to cause her pounding heart to cease altogether, but close enough to address her. He crouched, minimizing the appearance of his size and placing himself on her level instead, speaking rather gently as compared to his previous tone.

“Do not worry- you are safe now.” His voice was a purr, as harmless as he could hope to sound. “We will leave you in peace. Nobody is going to hurt you.”

Just as he insisted, he left her alone, softly closing the door behind himself while he went.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, friends~ Short chapter this week, but I'm already working on a new chapter for next week, and it's gonna be very nice, as Eddie and his symbiote clearly are in need of a heart to heart. <3 <3 If you like this story, follow me on my social media. I appreciate all messages, as well as kudos and comments.
> 
> Twitter: @BanishedOne  
> Tumblr: BanishedOne and Banishfics


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The distance created by disagreement between the host and his other was a thing which required gentle communication to amend, as well as a little something more to tether them back together as partners. Oh, and dinner, too.

Surprisingly, Eddie was able to go back to work in relative peace after dealing with the riffraff next door. He paused every now and again to listen, just to ascertain as to whether or not the lady in her motel room was okay. She’d stopped sobbing, anyway.

The symbiote pouted for nearly an hour over not being allowed to swallow that abusive bastard whole, but honestly, it helped Eddie concentrate, so he couldn’t complain. He did feel guilty after a while, though, so he offered to let the alien play around with his cellphone for the sake of entertaining himself. The creature slithered around Eddie’s shoulders and perched there like some kind of lazy, black python, with tendrils that kept the phone screen suspended in front of his face.

The creature’s eyes were sleepily narrowed while it used the Youtube app to watch a documentary about the Portuguese Man O’war. Once he got over being cross with Eddie, he tucked his head up next to the man’s neck, nestling beneath his ear.

“Hey, you getting hungry for dinner?” Eddie spoke up at last, wanting to extend an olive branch to his other. The question was obviously a little loaded at the moment, but it needed to be asked. Of course, the violent rumble in Eddie’s centre provided its own answer, but he was actively attempting to reconcile, so he had to say something.

“Yes, Eddie, we are,” the symbiote replied, his tone further highlighting the overly obvious nature of the question.

“Alright, well, gimme the phone for a sec and I’ll order some takeout.” Eddie stretched his arms high above his head, loosening up from being stuck at his desk for so long, then he reached over his shoulder to take the cell phone being pushed into his palm by the jet black tendrils of his symbiote.

While Eddie tapped at the takeout app, trying to choose something a little less pricy than lunch, the symbiote’s chin rested against his shoulder. This allowed the alien to idly watch his host make a selection. Once Eddie scrolled to something that interested the other, he let out a little hum of approval, eliciting a fond chuckle from the human in return.

When Eddie made it to the payment screen, the creature let out a hiss of distaste. He could feel the stress chemicals overwhelming his host’s brain each time he was forced to pay on credit, spending more money that he didn’t have. It hadn’t taken the alien very long to turn bitter against the ridiculous barter system humans subjected themselves to.

“You stress yourself to make money and you spend it all on food,” the alien commented. And just to let Eddie know that, no, he wasn’t done being pissed about before, he added, “but then you let the free meals walk away.”

“Mmhm,” Eddie hummed. He wasn’t so distracted that he hadn’t heard the symbiote’s complaint. He just didn’t want to argue about it. It helped, because for a few minutes, the creature didn’t say anything more. Eddie finished placing his order and handed the phone back to his companion.

He didn’t immediately resume watching his show, though. “Why do we not just talk to her?” he asked, not giving much context. 

Eddie’s brow furrowed, his lips pursing in confusing. “What?” he uttered, voice pitched slightly higher in his baffled state. “The woman next door? We did talk to her and disturbing her any further would just-”

“No, Eddie,” the other snapped, perking from where he rested on his human’s shoulder, and slithering himself forward, so that he could turn and look Eddie in the face. “We mean Anne.”

The color somewhat drained from Eddie’s face at the symbiote’s elaboration, his expression softening to something pensive. “We’ve already talked about this,” he replied, his tone quiet and hopeless.

They had talked about this, more than once. Eddie would’ve thought that he didn’t need to explain himself any further, given that the alien was inside of him and could feel every dismal fluctuation of emotion, not to mention that he could also sift through the human’s memories like a collection of old movies.

But just in case the symbiote wasn’t getting it, Eddie thought back to the last time he saw Anne, before he became a ‘we.’ He was sad and desperate, lonely, unable to distract himself long enough to stop the never-ending thoughts of her.

There was no way back for them. That’s what she said. Those were her words. Everything they had, everything they’d made together, it was gone. That was on him. He did that to them. It hurt and no apology could amend it. 

He supposed, yeah, maybe he could relate to that asshole from earlier. He understood the untamed, turbulent pain of loss, of knowing that somebody had removed him from their life. He knew the fury, the sadness, the begging and pleading for it not to be true, and the certainty that life itself ended when ‘we’ became an ‘I.’

Not that he’d ever dare to behave like that. He recognized his fault and he would take it out on himself, nobody else.

“She made her choice and it was the right choice.. I know that.” Eddie slumped in his seat, elbows pressed to the desk in front of him. “I’m just going to respect her decision. That’s the best thing I can do after screwing everything else up for her.”

“..She still loves you, you know,” the symbiote purred into his human’s ear, his voice sweet and soft in his attempt to reassure. “Despite what she said. The chance is there, Eddie. We just have to take it.”

“..yeah, well, I’m sure she does still care. Emotions don’t just go away like that, especially after you’ve invested so much in them.” Anne was probably struggling just as much as Eddie- no, more. Everything he had lost, so had she. But he had a choice, he made a choice, and she was the victim of that choice. She paid the price for his thoughtless bullshit. She lost everything, too, because he couldn’t think beyond this bizarre saviour-complex, and his inability to recognize that his actions did, in fact, have consequences.

Despite all that, Eddie smiled at the thought of how she was right there to catch him when his ongoing bullshit finally knocked him on his ass and left him desperate and terrified. “She sure wouldn’t have dealt with all of my shit- well, our shit- if she didn’t care, but.. that doesn’t matter.” 

“What happened to redemption, Eddie?” the symbiote cooed. “Or are you just too proud to own your mistakes and do better?” 

“I told you, you were reading too much into that stuff from before,” Eddie chuckled bitterly. He really, really was telling the truth here. How could this alien inside of him not accept that? “That wasn’t about me, not even vaguely. And even if I could get back with Anne, how would that work? Things would never be like they were before, not with you here.” 

“Oh...” the symbiote hummed, crestfallen and sinking into Eddie’s skin so that he disappeared from sight. The cellphone dropped from his grasp and Eddie lunged to grab it, missing entirely, and causing the item to clatter to the floor.

“So we are the problem, is that what you are saying?” The symbiote’s voice echoed in the back of his host’s head, his tone tight with offense. But he was that much more dejected, given Eddie’s suddenly clear displeasure with his presence.

“No,” Eddie breathed. Stupid alien- who’d hurt him? Why in the world was his self-worth so tied to whether or not Eddie accepted and appreciated his presence? Furthermore, what was keeping him from realizing that he’d been the cure to Eddie’s inability to survive by himself and for himself? “I didn’t mean it like that,” he asserted.

“That is what you implied,” came the rumble of the symbiote’s voice. Now he was pouting all over again. Was he just ‘hangry’ or what?

“You’re not-” 

“You said it Eddie.” 

“That isn’t what I meant, will you please let me explain?” Finally, thankfully, the sound of silence filled his mind. In the momentary peace of that silence, Eddie took a breath and gathered his thoughts. He didn’t take too long doing so, however, because apparently his request for the alien to stop talking was making him all the more upset with each passing moment.

Eddie began again, slow and calm, “What I was trying to say was that, when I was still with Anne, I failed to dedicate myself to one person properly. It’s just like she said, I’m self-absorbed, and if I couldn’t get over myself enough to put her first, how could I ever take care of the needs of two people?”

The man paused, as though to allow a reply, but when none came, he leaned himself back in the chair again, letting his head tilt backward. “I have to move on,” he stated, wishing like hell that his other didn’t have to live in the same constant state of melancholy and dissatisfaction that he did. “I have to take care of you, now. I’m doing this to prioritize you.”

Slowly, the creature’s viscous form reappeared; he seeped through his host’s ribs and out from under his skin, bundling himself beneath the baggy hooded sweatshirt that Eddie wore, poking the tip of his snout out of the collar. “You know that still makes it seem like you want us to feel guilty,” he muttered, his face bumping up underneath Eddie’s stubbled chin.

“Okay well, that wasn’t my intention,” Eddie explained. “God, for someone who is literally in my head, you misunderstand an awful lot.”

“Sorry,” the symbiote hummed, a little defeated.

“No, don’t be. Don’t be sorry,” the man replied, one hand reaching to pat at the exposed bit of nose poking out of his collar. The alien seemed to like when Eddie’s fingertips rubbed at the soft space between his eyes. “I promise, I’m doing this because I care about you, okay?”

The symbiote quietly clicked his teeth together; it was either a sound of approval at the small show of affection or his agreement.

“We’re taking care of each other and it’s a lot of work, so we just have to focus on that, okay?” Eddie went on, fingers idly stroking the symbiote’s head as he spoke. The creature slithered his head out further, to make more of himself available to touch. “See, this is why humans pair up. We’re too weak to get through life on our own and too selfish to love more than one person. Some can’t even manage to do that much.”

“Hmm,” the other’s shiny eyes narrowed in sudden dubiousness. “Then what about families with offspring, Eddie?”

“That’s not-”

“What about the Man O’war?” the symbiote interjected, inflection to his tone, like he believed he’d made a very jarring point.

“What..?” This time Eddie was genuinely confused. “You mean the jellyfish?”

“They are not a jellyfish, Eddie,” the other snapped, abhorred by his host’s apparent ignorance. He vigorously freed himself from Eddie’s sweatshirt, jamming his face against the human’s, so that the tip of Eddie’s nose was slightly squished beneath the end of the alien’s maw. His cheeks were clutched between the black tendrils, like the symbiote’s intention was to smoosh his host’s face between palms which he hadn’t formed. “They are multiple organisms independently functioning, but living as one. They are symbiotic.”

“..I think I understand your weird fixation now,” the man muttered in reply, his words muffled by the way his cheeks were being pushed inward. Thankfully, his other backed off a bit, loosening his grip on the man’s face. “Look, I’m glad you somehow found a sense of representation in an ocean nightmare, but it’s just.. It’s complicated, it’s much more complicated than-”

“Humans are too rigid,” the other concluded, not needing to hear anymore of his host’s flawed reasoning. “You should be more flexible. That works for us.”

Clearly, Eddie wasn’t going to be gaining any ground in this discussion tonight, not when the alien was so resolved to be stubborn. In exasperation, Eddie let out a huff and flopped himself back in his chair.

“Fine, we will drop it,” the symbiote stated, his tone holding the sound of true sincerity. He must have been as tired of this disagreement as his host. His form melted into an obscurely shaped blob while more of his tendrils slithered free from the protection of Eddie’s body, and he began to shift into something more human-shaped.

The alien fully formed astride the desk, directly before his human host, still linked to Eddie by thin webs of black. His build was much smaller, without Eddie underneath, but nonetheless it was still roughly that of a human.

“We are tense, Eddie. We are stressed,” the symbiote spoke, his tongue flicking behind his teeth. “We need to take care of each other, as you say.”

 

“Wh-” Before Eddie could question the alien’s intentions, his black tendrils had slithered around the human’s thighs and along the front of his jeans. Eddie watched the other’s touch move across him, applying pressure at his groin.

“Hey, whoa, buddy-” Eddie flinched, his voice shooting up in pitch as his pulse quickened. A nervous laugh came out of him, the kind one makes when being tickled by surprise, and though one hand laid protectively against his fly, he didn’t move to brush the alien away. “I said last time that we couldn’t do that again.”

“You were lying,” the alien declared, slyly adding, “and you haven’t stopped thinking about it, since.”

Eddie’s head fell back against the chair and he let out a frustrated breath, unable to deny anything to a creature who not only knew his every thought and feeling, but who also already had the man stirring beneath his touch.

“You want us to touch you, right, Eddie?” the gleaming, black creature asked, tilting his head and waiting for the human’s confirmation.

“You’re always touching me and crawling around inside me,” Eddie replied, with a shrug and an obscure hand gesture. “I guess it doesn’t make any difference, huh?”

The other pressed his palms to the table top, leaning forward in order to hover over the slightly reclined human, gaining eye contact in doing so. “We have told you, we are not unreasonable. Do you want us to?”

Everything the symbiote felt physically, through his host, suggested that Eddie would appreciate the stimulation, the reaffirmation of their bond as expressed through intimate contact. But, he and Eddie had also long discussed that the human was ever so slightly discomforted by having his autonomy torn away, so the alien took care not to overstep these boundaries now that they existed- now that he cared. After all, Eddie’s trust was important to him.

“Y-yeah,” Eddie muttered behind a sheepish flush. Ever since this otherworldly being had come into his life, he’d had been nursing the exhilaration of existing so intimately near him all the time. This was no different; it was exciting and raw and perhaps even terrifying at times, hence the human’s nervousness. But, if the previous occurrence was any indication, it also came with a concoction of emotional responses that washed over the both of them, bringing them closer as a pair.

“Go on,” he encouraged the other. The creature blinked at him, as though waiting for Eddie to be certain, then he proceeded as asked.

His tendrils slithered around the button of Eddie’s jeans, unfastening it and loosening his fly, before pulling him out. Eddie peered downward, biting at his lower lip to muffle a hum of sound while he watched the alien work. However, with a slight, forward tilt, the symbiote unintentionally blocked the human’s ability to spectate at how the perpetually wet vines of wriggling black encircled him. The creature leaned into the human, gently bumping his face against Eddie’s forehead, nuzzling in a way that was both affectionate and needful. 

“Look at us, Eddie,” he purred, though he quickly earned a flustered chuckle from the human, as well as having a palm pressed to the jagged maw of his face, pushing him back.

“I can’t with you that close,” Eddie said. The symbiote backed off with ease, if only for the sake of watching the human’s expression shift while he humoured the alien’s request, if only for the satisfaction of having Eddie meet his gaze. He was one of the only humans who would ever look at him with fondness and familiarity, with trust that human beings could rarely even bestow upon members of their own kind.

It was funny- despite his distaste for Riot, Venom had considered him to be rather attractive, by comparison to himself. He had such straight, fine teeth and a handsome jawline, not to mention those wide shoulders, that robust chest. Actually, maybe the pitch black symbiote was still a little jealous, despite that Riot had been reduced to dust.

And yet, Eddie had called Riot ugly right to his face. 

He never reacted that way to Venom, however. In fact, Eddie looked on his own symbiote as though he were a creature of beauty, deserving of reverence. He felt things, strong things; the glowing buzz of his neural pathways lit in reply to the sight of the alien, altering the chemistry of his brain into a near perfect mirror to how he’d mentally responded to Anne not so long ago, back before everything went wrong. The symbiote enjoyed that feeling very much, but he said nothing to question it further. It was too soon, yet. He’d settle for this, for now. It was satisfying enough. It felt nice.

“Eddie,” the other affectionately purred again, gaze still locked with that of the human. The man brought one hand to touch the alien’s jaw, fingertips tracing it while a soft smile curved the corners of the human’s mouth. The smile remained, but Eddie’s eyes clenched shut when the symbiote’s grip on his growing length tightened, the movements along it slow and experimental while the alien searched for what felt right.

The obsidian web which connected the two pulled at Eddie’s body, suspending him above the chair where he’d been seated. A quiet sound vibrated in his throat, then slowly the color reappeared from beneath the man’s heavy lids, his gaze roving across the form his alien hitchhiker had solidified into. He rarely got to appreciate the sight of the symbiote in mock-human shape, given that he was so often underneath it. Now that he had the chance, however, he reached to lay his hands upon the expanse of the creature’s chest, his palms pressing against the strong but supple flesh, his fingers splaying across it.

Every given inch of the other replied with puddling excitement, and he had to resist the urge to reach out to Eddie in turn, to enshroud him, to swallow him, to be inside of him and to have him inside, to unify as one and feel everything he felt. No- making love, and even just fucking, as it was, revolved around being two individuals. That was foreign to the alien but he was learning. 

The creature’s branching appendages wriggled the human out of his jeans, as well as his underwear, and the garments fell to the ground beneath Eddie’s dangling feet. Other roving tendrils wandered underneath the man’s shirt, and he tremored in the symbiote’s grasp at the feeling of warmth slowly tracing its way up his abdomen, to his chest, pushing his shirt upward as they went, until the cloth was bundled beneath his chin.

With the mismatched pale of Eddie’s body unveiled before the alien, he reached to examine his host, making use of the hand he’d formed, which somehow excited Eddie all the more. One claw pressed into the dip between the human’s collarbones, then spanned downward, in the furrow between his pectorals. The symbiote’s touch then diverted, his fingertips brushing a single one of the man’s hardened nipples before he reached further downward, and aligned his fingers with the dips between Eddie’s ribs. From there he could still feel the faint rise and fall as Eddie breathed, and he could feel, too, that same life-giving breath sustaining him in turn.

They were quiet in this embrace for a few sweet minutes; Eddie’s hands moved to his other’s shoulders, the symbiote’s gentle claws ended somewhere between the man’s waist and his hips. The hundreds of tenuous stands tying them together tightened until they were bundled, all but the ones pumping at the human’s cock, firmly but slowly, teasing him and savoring the budding excitement.

Soft moans came from the human, so abashed, so timid, despite how his pretty lips hung open to set them free. The alien knew what his host was feeling; he felt it all mounting and he greedily craved more, yet denied it just the same. And like Eddie, his own expression betrayed his growing bliss. His pearly eyes were narrowed to slits, and his toothy maw gaped so that his long tongue lolled free, dripping wetness down the human’s bare front.

“Feels good for you, too, huh?” the human remarked, a sly grin on those plump lips of his, one hand moving to take hold of the creature’s tongue. His fingers were loose, stroking the wet muscle in a way the creature seemed to enjoy, given the rumbling noise that came out of him in reply. It was a deep growl; a hungry, heavy sound that oft became the symbiote’s only means of replying at times when sensations overwhelmed him to the point that he lost the ability to comprehend human language. Nonetheless, Eddie understood.

The black sprawled into diverging, widening paths across every exposed inch of the human’s frame, wrapping him in a restricting net of black, holding tightly to him so the more supple areas, such as the soft, white flesh of Eddie’s thighs, bulged slightly from beneath the tension. The symbiote touched the man in any way that could provide additional sensation, squeezing and wriggling against his nipples, squirming around his neck and prodding gently into the warm wetness of his mouth, fiddling with the human’s own tongue in a motion that was almost playful in its mimicry.

Eddie’s face pinched again in pleasure, his body going slack in the symbiote’s grasp as he let out a helpless groan. A purr of pride vibrated through the other’s chest, an audible expression of the satisfaction he felt, causing his host to willingly relinquish all control like this.

Eddie was pliant, soft and sweet and full of need. The tendrils dragged the human in ever nearer, so they were nearly flush and the other bumped his face against Eddie’s cheek like a friendly cat, feeling the roughness of his stubble while the tip of his tongue lapped gently against the human’s mouth, quick and light, like a true kiss, but not entering.

The creature bent his head down, lowering his mouth to the flesh of Eddie’s neck. His tendrils hastened to move aside as the sharp of his teeth pressed against the human’s skin, creating soft indents, feeling the texture and tasting the salt of him. He held Eddie there, breathing soft and slow against his neck while he continued to pump him. The symbiote’s breath was Eddie’s own, Eddie’s breath was his other’s, and they shared it as equally as they shared one another.

“How the hell do you differentiate me from food, I wonder?” Eddie mumbled, his eyes still shut tightly while the symbiote’s tongue was pressed to his pulse. His viscous form crawled all around him, tracing the furrows between his muscles, the rises and dips of everything beneath his skin, mapping it from the outside as though he didn’t already intimately know every peak and valley that lurked on the inside. 

When the symbiote drew his mouth away from his host’s neck, Eddie opened his eyes, looking the creature in the face, still no fear to be found, though he wasn’t so sure of the expression on the alien’s jagged maw. He supposed he looked curious, waiting patiently for the human to say more.

“You always stare at my kind with that insatiable bloodlust that even I can hardly talk you out of,” Eddie uttered, smiling in challenge, knowing there was no danger. “I wonder if one day you’ll change your mind about me.”

“We did say it was a possibility,” the symbiote hummed, his voice more carnal and growled than usual. However, he was teasing now and he’d been teasing the first time he made that joke; he knew Eddie was aware of that. His lips drew back further from his teeth, his eyes narrowing when a faint laugh bubbled from him. “Maybe you should ask yourself how humans are able to treat dogs differently than pigs, because to us it is all the same, but to you? Clearly there is a distinction.”

“Oh good, I’m a pet, one step above a snack.” Eddie laughed, grunting quietly as the symbiote folded his legs back and effectively strapped them into that position. He clearly didn’t have a full idea of the limits of human flexibility, but he quickly loosened his hold once he felt the secondhand stretch of Eddie’s muscles.

“You are a snack, too, do not be silly,” the symbiote let out a breathy titter, his hands reaching to rub Eddie’s thighs in apology for the moment of discomfort. “But we can’t believe you would call our feelings into question, while we are here, pleasuring you like this.”

The other tightened the grip of his snaking tendrils around Eddie’s erection, as though to elaborate on what he was saying.

“Nnn, yeah,” Eddie breathed, finding it difficult to translate thoughts into language, himself. “I was just looking for a little ‘we like you, Eddie,’ but I guess you’re not as deep in my thoughts as you like to say.”

“That would really take the spice out of our relationship if we always replied so flawlessly,” the alien answered, with what was presumably a grin. His cheeks were slightly creased, so that must have meant he was intentionally smiling. He tilted his head, leaning into one palm and blinked, before he added, “..but we can state the obvious, if it is that important.”

He paused for effect, then purred the words, “We like you, Eddie,” with as much softness and sincerity as he could manage. His tendrils, at last, slithered between his host’s ass cheeks, pressing lightly against the tight pucker which resided there. He was cautious, slow, moistening the area with his wet touch, watching the way Eddie’s toes curled in anticipation, and the way he gasped at the feeling. “We like you very, very much, Eddie.”

He more than ‘liked’ Eddie, but he would use the words Eddie had specifically asked to hear.

The pressure was built gently, until Eddie relaxed under the touch, finally allowing the black to push inside with the softest pressure. His body arched in reply while a helpless breath hissed out from between his teeth, but the symbiote went deeper, moving himself around gently within the tight confines.

“See how much we like you, Eddie?” the other hummed through his own haze of arousal. “See how good we want to make you feel?”

“Ahh-” the human groaned, his skin beading with perspiration, his eyes glassed with pleasure. The other’s grip had slithered around his balls, applying a light pressure while he pumped the man’s cock in a slow, teasing tandem with the thick intrusion, moving in and out of his ass. 

“Mm- yeah, I like you, too,” Eddie managed to spit out between gasps and helpless attempts to squirm in the symbiote’s grip. “Ahh, fuck- hey um- can you-”

“Hmm?” The symbiote perked in interest, the tip of his tongue tracing the edges of his teeth, his mouth watering in his own excitement, so thin streams dripped down his chin and added to the moisture collecting against Eddie’s skin.

“You already know what I’m gonna ask, right?” the human said, his gaze cast downward in embarrassment, his chest heaving.

“Oh, we know,” the other purred, drawing Eddie close enough that their faces nearly bumped together again. He wanted to watch the human while he spoke those words, he wanted to savour the image of his mouth forming them. “We still want you to ask. We still want to hear you say it.”

“You’re much more confident about this than you were the first time..” Eddie replied with a little chuckle, thinking he could get one up on his companion.

“Say it, Eddie,” the symbiote insisted, if sweetly. “Ask us very nicely.”

“Alright, alright,” the man breathed. His other’s hands came up to cup his cheeks, to lift his face up and keep Eddie from gazing elsewhere, and with a thick swallow, Eddie humoured the symbiote, staring directly into his face as he presented the request, “Do you think you can, uhh, use your mouth down there?”

An excited noise came out of the alien in reply- that was as good as a yes, but it didn’t come without a bit more teasing. “We are starting to think the idea of being our snack entices you all the more, Eddie,” he stated, like he was chastising, softly licking at Eddie’s mouth again in his affection. “Mmm, we could swallow you up. We could taste every inch of you and you would be so juicy, so tender, so very sweet.” 

Of course, nothing was anywhere near as sweet as appeasing the human.

The tendrils which formerly had a tight hold on Eddie’s member slipped away, so it bounced free from the symbiote’s grasp. He then bent his head down, outstretching the length of his tongue to furl tightly around the human’s cock, wetting it until it was dripping.

Venom moved his tongue rapidly up and down, the motion effortless, the feeling delightful. Eddie’s quiet sounds of bliss turned to outright moans and nonsense words that he mumbled in the heat of the moment. He writhed and bucked in the symbiote’s grasp, but like prey captured in a spider’s web, the tendrils only rendered him more deeply captive with every movement, until he was held totally still and helpless, in tight suspension and his thighs were shining and slick from the alien’s saliva. 

The symbiote could feel his human nearing that delicious precipice and his tongue tugged at his cock in shared eagerness. He’d felt his first orgasm through Eddie’s body, and it had driven him wild with a new, vibrant hunger that could nearly rival the endless void that was his actual, literal appetite.

Apparently, human beings really did have more to offer than the nice, full, satisfaction that rested in the alien’s core when he swallowed a particularly delicious one whole.

Eddie let out a muffled groan when he toppled into release, thick streams squirting out against the tight coils of the symbiote’s tongue, hot and savory, and Venom resisted the urge to slurp it hurriedly back into his mouth in favor of pumping out the last sweet spasms of his host’s orgasm. When he felt Eddie’s flesh softening in his grasp, he took his touch away, swallowing up the evidence- nothing went to waste.

The human had hardly let out a decent breath before several hard raps upon the motel room door startled him. He would have fallen onto his naked ass, if the alien wasn’t still holding onto him. 

“Shit!” Eddie hissed, trying to free himself.

“Calm down,” Venom purred, helpfully reaching out to gather up the human’s discarded clothes with numerous, grasping tendrils. “It is just the takeout. Remember?”

“Right,” Eddie breathed, feeling stupid and sheepish. He wasn’t sure he’d ever stop responding to the sound of knocking with alarm. 

When the symbiote finally got Eddie back to his own feet and hid himself somewhere in the fatty layer beneath Eddie’s skin, he let out a coy chuckle that interrupted the man’s clumsy haste, shuffling into his jeans.

“What is it?” Eddie asked, sure that his body was still red with his orgasmic flush. Oh well, the delivery person had probably seen worse.

“You are already thinking about doing it again,” the alien teased, thoroughly amused. “After dinner, then, Eddie?”

“Uhh, maybe. If I get my work done, first.” Eddie agreed like he had no other choice, unwilling to deny himself, nor his annoyingly intuitive friend.

“Then we will let you work.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this chapter was very enjoyable for the lot of you. I had been just itching to write it, haha. I appreciate all kudos, comments, and bookmarks, as well as follows on my social media.
> 
> I'm @Banishedone on Twitter  
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> <3


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